Unarmed
by xohearted12
Summary: After a long, emotional day at work, Kono breaks down when her relationship with Steve is put in jeopardy. Established relationship.


**Hello, everyone! Obviously, I am new to writing fanfiction, but I have been reading them for quite some time now, and decided that I would try one myself. **

**I adore this couple and it was really hard to write them in character, but I tried my best. **

**Again, I really don't know how good this is. It could horrible, but I decided that it wouldn't hurt anyone to publish it. **

**This story is set somewhere in the first season before Lori was in the picture. **

**Summary: After a long, emotional day at work, Kono breaks down when her relationship with Steve is put in jeopardy. Established relationship.**

**Note: Everything in italics is supposed to be a memory or a flashback.**

**Unarmed**

It had been a long day.

After finally being able to leave the crime scene, Kono slowly made her way home. For most of the car ride, she found herself focused on everything else besides driving the vehicle. She easily allowed her mind to drift to the thoughts she knew would reappear in her nightmares later that night.

At the moment, the team's rookie found herself staring at her own reflection in the mirror. She squinted. Kono couldn't believe all of the emotions written on her face. Was it sadness? Anger? Disappointment? She wasn't exactly sure.

"Hey, Babe," she heard a voice from the next room calling out to her. "Do you know where my paperwork went?"

Before answering, Kono took a breath and quickly shifted her body. She found herself seated on the edge of the bathtub with her head placed in her shaky hands.

_This isn't happening. This was the only thought running through Kono's head. She was trying to make herself believe that the sight before her was only a dream. Actually, it was all a nightmare if you were to ask Kono._

_Even though she was only a year and a half out of the Police Academy, Kono was well trained in how to deal with high stress situations. During this span of time, Kono had been involved in several car chases, shoot-outs, and kidnappings, but she knew how to handle those circumstances because of experience. But this, this was something Kono was not trained for. _

_When she graduated from the Academy, no one told her that she would develop serious feelings for her boss. Of course, these said feelings were established over a period of time in which the two were required to work together. It had started out as a simple crush, but Kono soon realized that things were never going to be that simple again. _

_They would flirt. _

_He would stare. _

_She would giggle. _

_For months, they danced around their obvious feelings. Well, obvious to everyone except for themselves. Their teammates, Danny Williams and Chin Ho Kelly were well aware of the different dynamic taking place within the team. _

_Danny would often hint towards a possible relationship when he wished to tease his partner, and Chin would use his family connection to try to squeeze information out of his cousin. _

_After much avoidance and struggle, Steve and Kono were finally able to reveal their true feelings to one another. But, like everyone else some complications emerged, such as Kono's jealousy or even Steve's inability to communicate in complete sentences. _

_While, Steve still did not understand the reasons behind Kono's incessant jealousy, she found it challenging to avoid the stares he received from many women when she and her boyfriend were out in public. _

_And, obviously, Steve is not exactly the greatest with his words, so Kono would become frustrated easily when she wished to have a serious conversation with him. But his excuse for this personal difficulty would always be his unresolved family issues and his SEAL experience. _

_That morning, Kono had woken up to Steve sleeping on his side of the bed. Nothing appeared to be too different; nothing seemed to be too out of the ordinary. The day started just as any other had in the recent months. Steve had kissed her forehead when he realized she had awoken. He took his Navy shower, which was way too short for her liking, but it's a SEAL thing that she will never attempt to understand. _

_While he showered, Kono prepared a simple breakfast, but only enough to fill their stomachs until they had the opportunity to feast on something more. _

_Several hours after Steve and Kono arrived to HQ together, Kono received a daunting call from a very nervous-sounding Danny. _

"_Kono, are you there?" Danny asked on the opposite line. "Kono?" he asked again when she had not yet answered. _

"_Where is he?" she managed to speak, but couldn't manage many words. _

_She was currently standing alone in the office after Steve, Danny and Chin left to handle a case. Kono was left to deal with the paperwork of other cases the team had managed to close recently, and she had just been finishing up when she felt her phone ringing in her back pocket. _

"_Kono," Danny paused. _

_Danny doesn't pause. He is a talker. Actually, in all of the time Kono has known him, Danny had always been someone who could go off on completely random rants about absolutely nothing. Kono could easily sense that something was wrong just by his tone, but she knew that Danny doesn't pause. _

_After a few seconds, Danny spoke into his side of the telephone, "Kono, I really don't think," he started, but before he had an opportunity at an explanation, Kono was talking over him. _

"_Danny." She began, hoping to keep her emotions out of this conversation. She remained focused on steading her shaky voice. No such luck. "Danny, where is Steve?" She swallowed as the words escaped her throat. _

_The line was silent for a moment before Danny's calm voice interrupted the tension. "We were following the suspect, but he somehow managed to get far enough ahead of our car and we lost track of his position," Danny paused again. Kono really had a reason to panic now. _

_Standing alone in the office, Kono shook her head as Danny relayed the story to her. "I don't want the details, I want you to tell me where __**my boyfriend**__ is!" she began to raise her voice slightly out of increasing frustration. _

"_Steve entered an abandoned warehouse about a half hour ago, he was following the suspect." Danny replied quickly as he became aware that she had no desire to be coddled._

"_Wait, what?" she asked, confused by some minor aspects of his story. "Why didn't you and Chin follow him? Why didn't you go after him?" Kono began interrogating as panic finally made it's way to the surface. _

_While she waited for an answer, Kono could hear background noise on Danny's end of the line that did not even come close to helping her nerves. _

_Kono heard sirens. The type of sirens you never wish to hear. _

"_The building collapsed before we had the chance." Danny answered bluntly, speaking in a detached tone that worried Kono. _

_Kono felt her heart drop into her stomach. The phone call was graced with another moment of silence while Danny allowed Kono a moment to process his statement. _

"_You said that you didn't want the details." he retorted with sarcasm. _

Kono conjured all of her strength to stand on her own two feet. As soon as she did, she felt dizzy and weak. Her body was just starting to feel the emotions of the day.

She quickly reached for the doorknob that allow her to exit the bathroom, which would then lead into the master bedroom of the house. Kono closed the door behind herself and her eyes instantly focused in on Steven McGarrett rummaging through the drawers.

And all at once, the sight of him standing there knocked the wind of a Kono. The two had driven home from the crime scene together, but a piece of her was not entirely convinced that he was okay.

Steve turned around slightly when he heard the bathroom door close, but only looked at her briefly. He continued to search in the drawers placed against the beige walls.

"Do you know where I put my…" before he got the chance to finish asking his question, Kono crashed into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tightly, placing her hand on the back of head, running her fingers through his hair.

Kono needed to feel his skin to reassure her worries.

She pulled away slowly and frantically ran her hands over his bare chest, almost to make sure that he was not injured. She grazed over his many tattoos before resting one of her hands on his cheek, and the other on a gash directly over his right eyebrow.

She touched the wound.

He didn't flinch. He didn't even really acknowledge the action.

She released a breath that she was not aware she was holding. Kono took a moment to gather her frantic thoughts and looked into his eyes. "Okay." She mumbled under her breath.

Steve watched her intensely before speaking up. "Kono, what is it?" He questioned while studying her demeanor.

"What? Nothing." Her voice cracks. Her eyes continue to search his face.

She probably should have let him in on her worries, but she is supposed to stay strong about this stuff. Kono was trained that you must detach yourself from an emotional crisis, in order to survive in this business. Her teacher drilled the knowledge into their heads until there was no chance of it escaping.

But how do you accomplish such a task? Keeping your emotions in a separate side of your brain is the best thing for everyone, but it is also one of the hardest parts of the job. Especially, since Kono is supposed to be a kick-ass rookie that everyone respects. She doesn't get to cry, she doesn't have that kind of time with criminals wandering the island.

She is aware of the duty she has to her home, to her team. She has an obligation to protect Hawaii's inhabitants; she has to protect the pieces of paradise that helped raise her.

The ocean and waves motivate her. The culture changes her. And the people inspire you.

"Okay." Steve replied with uncertainty lacing his words.

_It had been five minutes since Kono arrived on the scene, and she made sure to park far enough away where she was able to watch the commotion, but also exist in her own bubble without anyone trying to convince her of something. Mainly Danny._

_He would try to give her hope that Steve was still alive, but they both knew better. They have seen enough to know all of the possible outcomes of this case. _

_Kono turned off her car and stared out her window at the frantic workers trying to enter the building that once stood three stories tall. How was supposed to except that her boyfriend could be crushed by that rubble? He could be dying while she hid in her car. _

_When she finally established a certain amount of strength, Kono left the safety of her car and approached the scene. She quickly noticed Danny and Chin standing in a far corner, and decided that she would remain composed before she knew anything. It did not help anyone if she were to panic now. _

_Out of the corner of his eye, Danny detected Kono's presence. She appeared to be tired and the concern for Steve was plastered all over her face. It was even present in her unusual body language. _

_From the very beginning of the formation of Five-0, Danny and Kono were like brother and sister. They were both able to confide in the other; they even picked up on each other's mannerisms rather quickly. And from the second Danny spotted Kono, he knew something was off, but reasonably so. _

"_Hey, guys." Kono spoke as took her place standing next to Chin. She crossed her arms over her chest, hoping to conceal her trembling hands. _

_Chin quickly turned his head in shock, as he had not known she was aware of the current situation. He understood from experience that she would strain herself to not panic, but that the pressure would soon swallow her whole. He knew that his cousin would lose herself if she were to lose Steve. _

_Sure, in the beginning, Chin did not entirely approve of the relationship, he would admit that, but all he wanted was for her to be happy in her choices. From the way Steve and Kono acted around each other, he soon replaced his thoughts of concern with excitement for his closest family member. _

"_Kono, what are you doing here?" he questioned as she watched the events unfold before her. _

_She didn't even make the effort to look at him. Kono knew that if she did, she would cry. _

"_What do you mean, Chin?" she paused. "This is my job, I have to be here." _

_Chin sighed, rolling his eyes slightly. Really, she just had to be difficult today? _

"_You know that is not what I mean, cuz."_

"_Then what do you mean?" she snapped back. Kono paused before she decided to speak again. "Danny called me and said that there was an emergency." _

"_Of course he did." Chin mumbled under his breath while directing a glare at Danny, who simply shrugged. _

"_What do we know?" Kono quizzed._

_Danny and Chin looked at each other, not sure who would speak first. Neither one of them wished to be the one who communicated the whole story to her. _

_When neither spoke, Kono's frustration increased. "What have they told you? What do you…" she began to interrogate, but the words soon became caught in her throat. She closed her eyes, almost bracing herself for her next statement. "Is he dead?" she declared candidly._

_Danny's stomach dropped as she spoke. The emotion in her voice was so real and tangible. He had always known Kono to be independent and determined, but it had never phased Danny that there was a sensitive, vulnerable side to the youngest member of their team._

_Suddenly, all Danny could think about was the team's future if the worst-case scenario were to take place. Steve wasn't allowed to die today. He did not make Kono fall in love with him, and have to deal with his SEAL ways for him to just, die. He should not be able to fall off of the face of the earth. Steve did not get to break Kono. _

_In some ways, Danny respected Kono for choosing to be with Steve. Well, of course, he always respected the rookie, because she is able to take down two hundred pound criminals, almost like she was riding a bike. But, you have to be a brave woman to handle Steve and his ways. Steve just doesn't let anyone into to his life easily. It's a process that takes plenty effort from both parties. _

_While it had been almost a year since Kono and Steve had started their relationship, it still continued to surprise Danny. Steve never failed to harass Danny, but with Kono, it was different. He seemed almost human._

Because Steve was required to be examined at the crime scene, he and Kono did not get home until after midnight, which meant they had to have a quick dinner. Plus, they had both been through an exhausting day, neither one of them were in the cooking mood.

Kono decided that she would just satisfy herself with some cereal, while Steve settled for a sandwich. Once they had both prepared their dinner, they sat down next to each other at the counter.

There was a long silence that enveloped the room. It wasn't like they had nothing to talk about; it was more related to the fact that neither of them wanted to talk about it.

Kono finished her dinner first and then proceeded to clean the house.

Steve, still seated at the counter, watched her as she faced her back to him. "Kono, you don't have to do that." He stated as he pushed his plate away.

She had just opened the dishwasher before progressing to empty it. She took the now clean plates and cups and placed them in the kitchen cabinets. "I want to." She answered quickly with an attitude that she didn't mean to direct at him.

"It's been a long day, you don't have to do that today." He insisted and she picked up a cup from the dishwasher rack.

Kono became aggravated and turned on her heel quickly. "Leave it alone, Steve! I want to!" She declared as she raised her voice significantly. In all of the commotion, Kono lost her grip on the glass she was holding. The cup instantly fell to the floor in a shattering crash, which sounded much louder in the stiffness of the room. "Dammit!" she said with much frustration as she ran her hands over her fatigued features.

Steve stared at his girlfriend standing across the room and knew that something was seriously concerning her.

"Kono," he whispered before stopping in the midst of his sentence.

She sighs, running her hands through her hair. "I'll clean that up." She answered quickly before bending down to the floor. For several minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of broken glass.

_It felt like an eternity since Kono had last spoken. Chin was becoming concerned about his cousin's sanity, but did not get the chance to voice his worries before the fire chief approached the three of them. _

_Danny stepped up to this much larger man dressed in uniform and placed his hand in from of him. "Detective Danny Williams, Five-0" He introduced himself after the older man had. _

_Before the chief had the opportunity to speak, Danny motioned him to another location, where Kono would not be able to hear their conversation, just in case it the news they were all hoping would never come. _

_Sergeant Thomas Riley, the fire chief, had arrived on the scene with his department numerous hours prior, when the emergency call had first been made. "We have been searching the building for any signs of survivors, but," he lowered his voice slightly, finding the conversation more difficult than he had imagined. _

"_Nothing." Danny finished his sentence before releasing a breath and contemplating the reality of this statement. __**C'mon, Steve! You don't get to die on my watch! **_

"_We're going to search into the night, but nothing yet__**." **__the sergeant spoke with sympathy for the detective's situation, but was sure his words had not offered any comfort. _

"_Okay, thank you." Danny replied in a state of shock before he began to approach his older teammate who both respected and trusted Steve with both his life and his cousin's, and that very cousin who was in love with their practically dead boss. _

_Danny tried to say something when he finally reached the spot where he had been standing a moment prior, but realized that none would escape his lips. He decided that a meek shake of the head would work just the same._

_As soon as he did, Kono let out a giant gasp that sounded like she was just shot by the most deadly bullet, pain and grief. Her eyes instantly filled up with tears, although she was using all of the strength she had to attempt to contain them._

"_Danny," his name escaped her lips before she thought about it. She continued, "Danny, it's been all day." She looked down at the ground and placed her hand over her eyes. _

"_It was just another case. A stupid case." As she spoke, the tears slowly began to break free. "I didn't even tell him I loved him." And finally, she started to crumble. Something, Danny and Chin had expected of her hours ago, but this was Kono Kalakaua we are talking about. "I didn't know." She placed her hands on her knees in order to provide herself with some physical support, and sobbed. _

_Danny was standing closest to Kono to catch her if her knees were to buckle underneath her, while Chin was positioned quite a few feet from the both of them. _

"_Kono." Chin spoke with a shocked voice. _

_Danny looked up at Chin and noticed his gaze towards something in the distance. He followed Chin's gaze and he, too, swore his eyes were deceiving him. _

_Commander Steven J. McGarrett had just emerged from the destroyed rubble and appeared to be shaky on his feet. For the most part he looked to be uninjured, aside from a few bloody wounds that would surely heal with time. _

"_Kono." Danny spoke her name as well, in order to get her undivided attention. "Kono, you're going to want to see this." _

_Kono slowly stood straight up before looking at her surroundings. She saw her boyfriend, the love of her life, walking. He was alive. But, she was going to kill him for this. _

_Steve searched the crowd of people that all had their eyes locked on him, but he only wished to lock eyes with a tall, brunette, Hawaiian girl who had been racing through his thoughts as he struggled to escape the rubble. _

_Once he finally made his way over to his team, Kono touched his face and kissed his cheek. He had never been so happy to feel her skin against his own. _

"_Hi." He said, and it was enough to make her cry again. _

_She managed a sweet smile that made him smirk. "I so glad that you're okay." _

_AFTERWARD_

_Steve was seated in the ambulance stationed at the scene. Danny insisted that he be examined after being stuck in the debris for hours. Steve decided that he was fine, but Danny made sure he nagged Steve until he got what he desired. _

"_You don't have to hover, Danny." Steve looked up from his seat to make eye contact with his pacing partner. _

"_I'm not hovering, Steve." Danny retorted as he hit his hands against his thigh. _

_Steve chuckled at his remarked. "You know, if you had called in the case quicker, none of this would have happened, Danny." _

_Danny's jaw almost fell to the floor out of shock, and he was suddenly searching for words. "What is wrong with you? You are an animal! An animal, Steve!" Danny yelled as he began pointing directly in Steve's face. "You have been trapped in a collapsed warehouse for majority of the day, and while that was all very exciting, I was trying to comfort your emotionally unstable girlfriend!" While he spoke, Danny was using very elaborate hand gestures to relay his message. "So, my friend, I think I deserve a big, fat, freaking thank you!" He said as he finished his rant. _

_Steve sat there with his eyebrows raised and a confused expression. _

"_What?" Danny raised his voice as he noticed the paramedic tending to Steve's injuries eyeing him like he was a crazy person. "If you had to work with this crazy man every single day, in and out, you would loose your mind as well!" _

"_Hey, don't blame this on him." Steve replied while attempting to contain a laugh. _

"_I hate you, Steven." Danny spoke, squinting his eyes and folding his arms over his chest. _

_Steve's smirk fell as both men stopped talking. "Where is she?" he asked without making eye contact with his partner. Without him saying anything else, Danny was aware what Steve was talking about. _

"_She's here." Danny nodded. _

_Steve nodded as well, and directed his eyes at the floor. "Is she okay?"_

_Danny chuckled at Steve's question. "You were six feet under for all we knew, Steve." He replied as he stared directly at his boss. _

_Steve pondered his wiser counterpart's statement, and looked up at him. _

"_This would have ruined her." Danny spoke with the intentions of being heard. "Kono would have been lost." _

_Steve nodded as the paramedic finished his examination. _

"_You're going to be fine, sir." The paramedic said as he cleaned up his supplies. "Just take it easy for a few days."_

Kono had just finished brushing her teeth before climbing into their bed. She pulled the covers up over her waist and turned on her side, which resulted in her facing the wall. Steve continued to look through the drawers for his paperwork that refused to be found at this point.

At some point, Steve gave up and joined Kono in their bed. He pulled the covers off of his side and climbed in, careful not to disturb her too much. They laid in silence because neither of them wished to start an argument.

Every once and a while, Kono felt Steve's eyes focus on her and she wasn't exactly sure if she was required to say something. But, because she is stubborn, she decides to speak up.

"What is wrong with you?" she says as she begins to sit up. Instead of answering, Steve watched her with confusion. "I really didn't want to do this, I was going to let this go, but you drive me insane, because you've managed to convince yourself that nothing happened today."

"Kono, stop." Steve wanted to interrupt, but he knew that when Kono gets angry, there is no stopping her.

"Do you love me?" Kono quizzed with complete uncertainty that somewhat scared Steve.

Steve wasn't sure if he had an answer that would be a correct one in her mind. "Of course I do, Kono." He nodded as he leaned closer to her.

"How could you do that to me, Steve! I know who you are and I know of all the reckless ways you are able to get the job done, but how could you be so careless." Tears began to well up in her eyes as a rush of built up emotions hit her all at once. "You were practically dead today, Steve" She continued as Steve watched her with a softened expression. "Look, I know that this is what you do! You chase after criminals with guns, and," she pauses as she struggles for words. "And you run into abandoned warehouses because you can!"

Steve knew that something had been bothering her since they had arrived home, but he was unsure of how to approach the subject.

He had never witnessed Kono like this. She was normally composed and when she wasn't, she surfed. That was the time he allowed for herself, he didn't bother her when she grabbed that surfboard because that was the only sense of normalcy she had left. Steve knew that when she signed up to be apart of his time, she had to make chooses, she was required to make difficult sacrifices and that was because he wanted revenge for his family.

"So, the next time you are faced with the opportunity to be Superman, I want you to think." Kono starts to point her finger at his chest as she starts to run out of steam. She had intended to be tough and fearless when confronting, but her emotions decided to take a different approach. "I need you to think, just for a second, Steve!"

"Okay." Steve simply stated, but he knew that wouldn't satisfy her enough.

"Think about all of the people that would miss when you are gone. Danny, Grace, Chin…" she stops, hoping to organize her thoughts.

Steve smiled slightly. "I really hope your name is on that list somewhere." He stated, trying to make light of the situation.

"Of course it is!" she screamed, finally losing control. Tears began rolling down her cheeks and it broke Steve's heart to know that he had caused a majority of her stress. "I pretty sure that this sounds incredibly selfish, but next time I need you to think of me." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Promise me, Steven." She whispered as she bit down on her lip.

He looked at her intensely before placing his hand and her cheek and stroking it with his thumb, hoping to comfort her. "I promise, babe."

Steve moved closer to Kono, and she rested her head on his chest. She took a moment to take in his scent before speaking again.

"You don't get to die on me yet." Kono looked up at him and kissed his cheek. "I love you." She whispered as he smiled.

"I love you so much." Steve replied immediately.

For a moment, they simply relished in the fact that the other was alive before Steve spoke up, "You know, Superman does sound pretty cool right about now." But, before he got the chance to laugh at his own remark, Kono punched his shoulder.

"Not funny, asshole!"

_**THE END**_

**So, what do you think? Like I said it's not even close to perfect, but I hope you enjoyed reading it. **

**I had centered this whole story on that last conversation between Steve and Kono. But being able to establish an entire story around that was a lot harder than I thought, but I tried. I really hope that it wasn't to confusing for you guys, because I am aware that I jumped around quite a lot. **

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated being this is my first story. They would really help me to improve my writing if I were to continue writing this particular couple.**

**Thank you so much, everyone!**


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